The title says it all

Monthly Archives: May 2014

Have you ever had surgery? I had one four years ago, it was “emergency” surgery and I was freaked OUT. I’ve given blood a handful of times but still hate needles and having tubes coming out of me just drove me bonkers. I was less nervous about going under and the procedure than I was about the needle bouncing around in my hand. Also didn’t help that the nurse missed my vein the first time and the fluid inflated my hand, ha.

But yesterday I consulted with a surgeon referred to me by my general practitioner and he was funny but matter of fact, I didn’t feel like he was pushing me one way or another, and his office actually recommended a less expensive route for me. Which I really appreciate because my deductible is very high and I haven’t touched any of it. He explained I don’t have a hernia – it’s one of two other things, and while I still need a laparoscopic surgery to fix either – I can skip the CAT scan if I’d like to save a step. Loved that. I don’t need to spend more money on something to tell the guy to cut me open when he’s going to have to do that regardless.

I feel like the more shit that happens to me the less stressed I get about the next. First broken bone – terrified (granted I was 4 or 5 ha), Second – eh. First sprained ankle -FUCK! Second (3rd, 4th, 5th) – it’s cool, grab me an ice pack! Another laparoscopy? Sure, let’s do it!

– I am so tired today. Sometimes short weeks feel longer than normal 5 day work weeks. Anyone else feel this way?

– What are your thoughts on Tinder? My office has 3 other people here. And they’re all married and 15+ years older than me, not ideal for setting me up, ha. I’m not a church goer and I’m trying not to meet guys at bars anymore – because I frequent the same couple of places and that will get awkward! But I’m on the fence about Tinder….

– Oh wow, so a client of ours got some press over something we wrote, crediting the work to someone else. We contacted the press (and our clients) and the client is PISSED and is acting like we’re the bad guys because we want to set the record straight. Isn’t it bizarre how some people are so good at making their negligence seem like your bad move? Is that just a natural defense? Ha, maybe dealing with this is why I’m so tired today!

– I meet with the surgeon today about my incisional hernia. The antibiotics have healed the wound so it’s not really bothering me right now and I’m hoping that my general practitioner just mis-diagnosed me. Fingers crossed! I’m really wanting to run this half marathon at the beginning of August and I’m afraid this surgery, minor as it probably will be, is going to kick me off my game.

Today’s random facts are Random Fitness/Health Facts!

1. If you do not exercise regularly, by the time you are 65 years old you may experience as much as an 80 percent decrease in muscle strength. Damn. I am 31 and I will maintain!!

2. Fidgeting can burn about 350 calories a day! Makes me feel not so bad at my desk job 😉

3. If you had every single muscle in your body work together at the same time, you could lift about 50,000 pounds. How did scientists come to this conclusion?

4. If you’re always in a bad mood, then getting fit just may help. Regular exercise can enhance mood and overall well-being. This is so true. When I was using my spare time to party I was happy while partying but not when I was sober. Now that I’ve limited my drinking and I work out 6 days a week I am in a much better mood consistently.

5. People who cross-train with a variety of exercise are more fit and less injury-prone than those who exercise using only one or two exercise modalities. This is why I’m always switching it up! And I appreciate that P90X, T25, etc have different monthly schedules so when I’m on those programs my body never gets used to one thing.

Hehe, today’s title is brought to you from a friend who is really great at making obvious statements.

We are so close to summer up here in the Northern hemisphere and my weekends are filling up. I’ve got several adventures planned and many more I’d like to add.

Already on the books:

– Team Beachbody’s SUMMIT in Vegas

– Weekend in Joshua Tree

– Oxnard work retreat

– Trip to Iowa for my dad’s birthday and to run The Bix (a 7 mile hilly race)

– Summer Spectacular half marathon in Huntington Beach

– Vegas Trip with my sis, cousin, and girlfriends

– And lastly a Fort Lauderdale trip to visit my sis and bro-in-law in early September

Woohoo that’s a lot of fun! I also am wanting to start Stand Up Paddleboarding, take advantage of all of the hiking trails around me, camp out a few places, and continue training after the half marathon toward my planned first full marathon in December.

I have been kicking my ass into shape lately – and it’s been working, I’ve noticed changes in my body: I’ve lost weight, my arms, abs, and legs are more defined, and the squats and dead lifts have lifted and tightened my glutes and hamstrings. I’m nearly hitting my goals! Wahoo, right?? Yeah…wait for it…

But first — Here’s my schedule this last month, all toning routines are from Tone It Up:

I also have been participating in a daily squat challenge, have been eating mostly vegan (I think there were 2 or 3 non vegan meals this last month – still vegetarian, but I had cheese), haven’t had much alcohol, and have been drinking vegan chocolate or tropical strawberry Shakeology daily.

I feel AWESOME and STRONG! Well, felt awesome and strong.

Good question, Cat!

I recently got a kettle bell! Which I love! And how has it repaid me for my purchase, usage, and love? And old surgery scar has herniated. I had laparoscopy almost exactly 4 years ago, I thought the incisions healed quite nicely – have never had a problem. Until two weeks ago… I noticed some strangeness from my belly button. I’ll save you the description but it didn’t look super weird, it just had stuff coming out of it….ick. So, after waiting a week for it to heal itself -I don’t like to take antibiotics if I can avoid it- I went to the doc and I have an incisionsal hernia. Wah wah wahhhhh. No more lifting for me for awhile, and I need to take it easy all together til I get this taken care of. I meet with a surgeon next Thursday and then we’ll see.

So this is how I’ll be tweaking my workouts until surgery – spin twice a week, walks as often as I want, leg lifts, and minimal arms – like light-weight seated curls, arm circles… I should just go ahead and order this, huh? TV Gym

Hahahaha, I love that – my best friend is the chick in the grey shirt, she’s also in the video.

Oh well, shit happens. It seems like it’ll be another laparoscopic surgery so it’ll be minimally invasive, I can get back to light exercise 1-2 weeks afterward and normal exercise 2 weeks after that.

I’m thinking of trying out raw veganism while I’m on the mend – might as well entertain myself with new recipes since I can’t push myself physically. Not THE DAY after surgery because I’m going to just want to eat whatever I don’t have to work for, ha. Like if someone wants to bring me The Basic from Real Food Daily that’d be great 😉

I used to end all of my posts with something random – a fact about me, something I enjoy, just a thought, or a picture. I recently started following Running With Spoons, and her Thinking Out Loud Thursdays – a “weekly celebration of quirks and randomness” has inspired me to get my ramble on 🙂

So here are 5 Random Rambles:

1. I stare at people all day. My office is next to a casting agency and there is a steady stream of actors/models walking by. I try to guess what kind of commercial/show they’re casting based on what type of person walks by. One day it’ll be tall gorgeous 30 year old women, the next 65 year old bearded men, the next twin 5-10 year olds. It’s pretty entertaining.

2. We’re having Mexican food for lunch and I’m pumped. Two of the three company partners work out of this office and they have completely different tastes. When He is out of the office we have Real Food Daily, a vegan restaurant that is beyond delicious, and when She is out of the office we have Tacos Por Favor, this fantastic Mexican place. It’s win/win for me really.

3. My car is making this rattling noise. It has been an on again and off again noise for the last couple of months, and every time I take it to the shop my guy tells me it didn’t happen for him and he doesn’t know what the problem is…Me making the noise for him just makes him laugh, doesn’t help him narrow the problem down… It’s rattling all the time now so I think I’ll take it back on Saturday. If he doesn’t hear it this time again I think it proves I’ve lost my mind. Or that I need a new mechanic. NOPE, never to the latter – that guy is awesome. Must be a Melissa problem.

4. Does anyone have thrilling adventures planned for this holiday weekend? My planned adventures are pretty tame – pools, beaches, dogs parks, sauvignon blanc. Oh and Roga at 8am on Saturday. Did it last week for the first time and had a great time. Did a 4.7 mile run on the bike path at the beach and then an hour of free yoga at the far end of the Santa Monica pier – LOVELY way to start the day! ROGA

5. Speaking of Memorial Day, how is it this late in May already? Or even just in 2014?? I feel like this year is FLYING by and I’m not 100% ok with it. I’m 31 – if years just keep going by faster and faster, by the time I’m 95 it’ll just be a blink and we’ll be ringing in another new year… Do years slow down if you have children? I’m on the fence on having any, maybe this will make me reconsider.

And here are a few fun/interesting facts:

– Every year over one million earthquakes shake the Earth. I live in Southern California and don’t mind an occasional rumble, but I do have, tucked way way back, a small concern about “The Big One” coming. You know, the one people say will break off CA? 😉

– Astronauts cannot belch – there is no gravity to separate liquid from gas in their stomachs. Wow…

– The mortality rate if bitten by a Black Mamba snake is over 95%. No wonder The Bride in Kill Bill was such a badass, you’d have to be with that nickname.

I was reading The Blonde Vegan the other day and thought I’d do her survey to share a little more about myself.

My Favorite…

Person: Hmm, that’s tough but I am going to pick two because I can’t decide between them – my parents 🙂 They are so supportive and great examples of how to enjoy life. They work hard, play hard, and are always open to new adventures!

Color: Yellow – I love the sunny, vibrant color 🙂 Although orange is a close second

Food: Avocado! Yum, this is such a great addition to any and every meal I can think of 🙂 Did you know Brazilians add avocado to their ice cream? Mmmmm, so creamy.

Day Of The Week: Sunday. I’m a huge advocate of Sunday Funday – which is just doing fun things all day 😉 I usually start by hitting my neighborhood farmers’ market and then, when it’s hot, hang at the pool or beach and spend time with friends. There is definitely Sauvignon Blanc involved – I’m more of a red wine drinker but there’s just something perfect about a glass of Sauv Blanc on a warm afternoon! And usually I’ll watch a TV show to end the night – I don’t have cable so it’s just me watching something on Netflix or Hulu Plus – or, like recently, going over to a friend’s for Game of Thrones. I also try to plan my week out in the evening and just relax. –Sunday is my “rest/recover” day.

Thing To Do When Bored: Most recently it’s play with my bunny or take my dog on a walk. Yep, my roommate, Joy, and I nearly have a petting zoo in our apartment now, ha. We adopted Rocky the Mutt when we lived in North Carolina, back at the beginning of 2009, and Batman the Bunny just moved in in March!

I love this picture of a pooped Rocky:

Celebrity: Hmm…I would have to say right now it’s Anna Kendrick. I’m a musical theater nerd and love that she sings, acts, I don’t know about dancing, but is also hilarious. Follow her on instagram if you aren’t already, she’s pretty funny!

Drink: Non-alcoholic is Coconut Water. Low in calories, naturally fat- and cholesterol free, more potassium than four bananas, and super hydrating – wahoo! I use it in my smoothies or between my cardio and strength training. Favorite Alcoholic beverage is either red wine (DON’T MAKE ME CHOOSE A GRAPE VARIETY) or rye whiskey – Templeton Rye specifically, have to represent Iowa 🙂

TV Show: Of things that are on right now – Game of Thrones. But all-time is probably Arrested Development. I’m also a huge fan of Breaking Bad and Justified. My guilty pleasure show is Revenge – my roommate and I love to watch that on nights we’re both home. (Thanks again Netflix and Hulu Plus!)

Fruit: Avocado again! Ha, well I guess since I already used that one I’ll pick dates. Oh my goodness how I love medjools. I buy a half pound at the farmers’ market each week, they woman who works the stand just knows to start packing a bag when she sees me.

Store/Shop: There is a little boutique on Main Street in Santa Monica called Kyss that I just love. They always have great sales, cute clothes, and friendly employees.

Workout: Honestly, I like to mix it up – I love to run, right now I’m on a spinning kick, and when the weather’s not ideal (because I’m a baby about running when it’s too hot or cold – thankfully I live where I do) I love P90X3 or T25. I’ve just recently been getting into yoga as well. And as far as free plans my favorites are halhigdon.com for running or ToneItUp for toning.

Quote: Well, since this is my blog about being healthy, happy, and fit I’ll use one that works for the theme 🙂

Potato Chip Flavor: Hmm, I try to stay away because I can just munch and munch. But my favorite is boring: Ruffles. No added flavor!

Meal of the Day: Lunch — ha, my work buys lunch everyday so that’s why it’s my favorite! I get to have a healthy, hearty, sometimes adventurous meal on their dime, what’s not to love about that!? Today was not adventurous but it was damn tasty – The Basic 4 from Real Food Daily. I always order this from there (well, since they got rid of their ProKale Salad) – daily greens, beans, veggies, and grain. Although, I was a little disappointed that their daily grain today was brown rice. Boring 😉

Season: Fall – I love the colors, weather, clothes!

Dessert: My favorite “healthy” dessert is dates with pecans and dried coconut shavings. Or berries with local honey, almond slivers, and cinnamon.

Lifehack: I wasn’t sure about this one so I went to 1000lifehacks.com and here are a couple I appreciate: